Southern Bahama islands could experience thunderstorms, heavy rain

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — After rapidly upgrading, a tropical depression in the Atlantic is projected to develop into a tropical storm today.

Chief Climatological Officer Michael Stubbs told Eyewitness News said: “Due to this ridging that we are currently experiencing, stretching from Bermuda, all the way down to the Caribbean, is basically steering it away from The Bahamas right now. So, the track it would take it would move to towards the Caribbean islands and stay within the Caribbean Sea, and move that way. Jamaica may be in its path in the next couple of days. But right now, our early projections has it to stay south of the Bahama islands as we speak.”

The southern islands could experience heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds as a result.

However, Stubbs said the current path should not give Bahamians a false sense of security as the path could change.

He said meteorologists were closely monitoring the system.

The depression, located east of the Caribbean islands, has sustained winds of 35 miles per hour.

Winds of 39 miles per hour would classify the depression as a storm.

If upgraded, the storm would be named Gonzalo.

The system was moving west north west at around eight miles per hour, at last report.

Stubbs urged residents to monitor advisories, and for those who have not prepared for the ongoing hurricane season to do so.

“It can change and we are going to continue to watch…” Stubbs said.

Meteorologists have projected an above average hurricane season with 14 to 18 tropical storms, of which seven to nine have been forecasted to become hurricanes.

Of those hurricanes, two to four have been predicted to become major hurricanes.

The season runs from June 1 to November 30.